Many days I sit with families and talk about saying goodbye to someone they love.

Those loved ones often look back on their lives and only see the mistakes they’ve made and the messes those mistakes have caused. The end of their lives are filled with a series of “if only…”

Those “If only”s often cause spiritual and emotional pain.

To bring some relief I suggest the following:

“Tell your mom,” I say, “how her life impacted yours. Tell you dad what his life taught you. Share with them how those lessons have helped you and will continue to help you. Be specific.”

Hearing those affirmations can help relieve stress and worry. Hearing how their lives have positively impacted can remind them of the overall beauty of their life in the lives of those around them.

Today I started thinking, “Why Wait?”

Say it now.

Let your loved one know what they mean to you. Tell them what lessons they taught you. Explain how are you a better person because they were in your life.

While this would be a wonderful gift any time, it would be a great gift this Christmas. One way I’ve done this is using Wordle.net. It creates a “word cloud” with lot of design options. Here is an example using the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5″